The first round of French legislative elections would have proved them right. The far-right National Rally (RN) and its allies lead with 33.5% of the vote. It was followed by the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP) with 28.1% of the vote.
(French method), IPSOS Talan institute’s first estimates put the presidential party in third place with 20.7% of the vote. The second round of results, to be announced on July 7, will determine how France is run and whether President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic will face a prime minister from another political bloc.
In Montreal, NFP candidate Oussama Laraichi won 56% of the vote over Roland Lescure, deputy and member of the presidential majority, who received 22.5% of the vote. Far-right candidate Jennifer Adam was far behind with almost 10% of the vote.
The public participation rate in this first round is estimated at 65.7%, the highest since 1997 compared to the 47.5% of French people who voted during the last legislative elections in 2022.
Voiceless French people
It’s 2pm this Sunday on Avenue du Mont-Royal, and 24-year-old Frenchwoman Meline Alvarez learns the results of the first round.
” Prostitute ! » exclaims the young woman in horror, who has lived here for a year on a travel-work permit (PVT).
“I’m disappointed because I thought there would be more mobilization from the left,” he said. This means racism is still rampant [en France] Because I think people vote because of racism, not because of programs [des partis]. »
According to him, many who voted for the presidential camp in the past are now turning to the right wing. She admits to knowing many people who voted Left in the past and now vote RN.
She still has a year to spend here thanks to her visa, but Maeline Alvarez is now asking questions about returning to her home country.
“If there is ever a prime minister from the RN, it will not want you back because we know that our conditions will deteriorate over time,” he said. There is a fear because you tell yourself that you live in a country where people are fascists. »
“Hate Made Its Place”
Sitting far back on a terrace on the famous avenue du Plateau-Mont-Royal, Adeline Gonessa, a 38-year-old Franco-Canadian, is also learning the results of the first round. He says he’s not surprised, given the rise of the RN in his country of origin.
There are many who vote RN but don’t say so. Hate made itself accessible by convincing people that they were a party like everyone else. I left the country because of a changing, more closed mindset.
Adeline Gonessa, a 38-year-old Franco-Canadian
She explains that her grandmother was exposed to racism when she moved from Spain to France.
“Stones were thrown at her when she asked to go home to Spain,” explains Adeline Conesa. There is racism against Italians and Spaniards, but each generation seems to change its target. »
“Even if the RN passes, the French must remain open-minded, not take their word for it and not support hatred,” he adds.
A “paradigm shift” in French politics
Many French political parties reacted quickly after the results, hoping for a second round. Many candidates are already offering their advice on how to stop the far right and curb its rise.
“This evening we are changing the paradigm in French political life because we are seeing a navy blue wave in most French constituencies,” explains Julien Robin, a doctoral student in political science at the University of Montreal. We have seen the predictable rise of the RN for 20 to 30 years, taking place before our eyes. »
For this expert, who has focused on the evolution of parliamentary groups in the French National Assembly over the past 15 years, the prospects for a second round are slim.
“We can already expect a good RN majority in the Legislature [nationale], he said, whether it was a relative majority or an absolute majority, it would not be much. The second scenario is that the Republican curve calcifies during the week with withdrawals and withdrawals in triangles, so the RN’s progress in the second round is a limitation. »
Julian Rabin does not expect a majority for the left, which stagnates in the usual results. The French will vote again next week, while a symbiosis between the Macronist camp and another party seems inevitable.
